Automatic loading attachment for wagons.



No. 747,748. PATENTED DEC. 22, 1903. I

'I'. W. MOORE.

AUTOMATIC LOADING ATTACHMENT FOR WAGONS.

APPLIOATIOH rum) MAR, 27. 1903.

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Q/Vitueaaea v M No. 747,748. PATENTED DEC. 22. 1903.

T. w. MOORE.

AUTOMATIC LOADING ATTACHMENT POR WAGONS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR, 27. 1903.

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T. W'. MOORE. v AUTOMATIC LOADING ATTACHMENT FOR WAGONS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR, 27. 1903.

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THE NORR UNITED STATES Patented December 22, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS W. MOORE, OF PIEROETON, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO EFFIE MOORE, OF PIERGETON, INDIANA.

AUTOMATIC LIOADING ATTACHMENT FOR WAGONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,748, dated December 22, 1903.

' Application filed March 27, 1903. Serial No. 149,801. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. MOORE, av

citizen of the United States, residing at Pierceton, in the county of Kosciusko and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatie'Loading Attachments for Wagons; and I do declare the following to be a ful l,clear, and exact descri'ption of the invention, such as will enable [0. others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a partof this specification. I5 This invention relates to harvesting-machines; and its object is to enable shocks of corn or other produce to be easily and quickly loaded on a wagon in the field by utilizing the team to perform the Work.

The invention consists in an attachment to the wagon, comprising two driving-wheels, a pivoted or hinged load-carrier, means for connecting the carrier with the -wheels, means for automatically disconnecting it'therefrom,

a spring to counterpoise the pivoted carrier,

loading continues the attachment is shifted.

backward stepby step. The wagon and its attachment are driven alongside of the shock of corn, which is then pushed over upon the platform of the carrier. The carrier is then connected with the driving-wheels, and when the team is started the carrier is lifted over the wheels until it reaches the proper position to deliver the shock upon the hay-rack. Atthis moment the carrier is stopped and is automatically disengaged from the wheels. The shock having fallen off' the carrier, the latter is drawn back by a rope and falls gently into position for reloading, being cushioned by a suitable spring.

I begin to put the load In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wagon and my improved loading attachment, the nearer drivingwheel being removed. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation, partly in section. Figs. 4 and 5 show the automatic releasing devices. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the main axle-and counterpoise-spring. Fig. .7is a modified form of connection between said spring and the carrier. Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the latch for adjusting the position of the attachment. Fig. 9 is a side elevation thereof, and Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view thereof. I

For transporting the load I use an ordinary farm-wagon, comprising front and rear wheels 1 2 and ,a suitable bed, preferably a' hay-rack 3. The loading attachment straddies the rear end of the wagon and comprises two large driving-wheels 4, which are rotatably journaled on a transverse axle 5 and rest on the ground at points outside of the rear wagon-wheels 2. The axle stands above the wagon-bed and is firmly held in clamps 6 at the rear ends of hounds 7, whose forward ends are united to a block 8, thus forming a draw-bar for the attachment. Means are provided for adjustably securing the drawbar to the wagon-bed, so that the entire loading attachment can be adjusted lengthwise .of said bed. The preferredway of accomplishing this is shown in the drawings, and consists of a bar 9, secured longitudinally on said bed and having a series of transverse holes 10 to receive a sliding bolt 11 in the block 8. The blocks have a groove to fit over the bar, and the bolt can-be pulled out allel with the ground. The upright members and the lower horizontal members of these arms are suitably connected to form a loadcarrier, preferably by transverse lengths of planking 15. Hinged near the rear ends of the upper members of said arms are the lower ends of a bifurcated bail 16, in whose upper end is pivoted a transverse yoke or evener 17, whose ends extend out past the rims of the driving-wheels. Inasmuch as said wheelrims are provided with radially-projecting studs 18, it is evident that if theyoke is made to engage with said studs the rotation of the wheels will lift the carrier and turn it over upon the wagon-bed in frontof the drivingwheels. The means by which the engagement and disengagement of the yoke is accomplished is as follows:

Projecting upwardly and forwardly from each side of the load-carrier is an inclined gage-bar 19, which is held in position by a brace 20. At the upper end of said gage-bar is a pair of parallel links 21, to the outerends of which is pivoted a tripper 22, which lies just under the end of the yoke 17. When the links are inclined forward, as in Fig. 4, the tripper is belowthe rim of the driving-wheel and the yoke can engage with the studs thereon. When the links are tilted backward, the tripper moves backward longitudinally and also radially of the wheel and raises the yolie off the wheel, being retained in this position bya stop-block 23 on the gage-bar 19, as shown in Fig. 5.

In order to operate the tripper, one of the links has an extension or tail 24, to which is attached a cord 25, the cords being convenienily connected to a common handle 26 in easy reach of the operator.

The weight of the load-carrier is partially or wholly counterpoised by a torsion-spring, preferably a steel rod 27, immovably held at its middle by a stationary support 28 and having on each end a crank-arm 29, connected with the frame of the load-carrier. The rod is located vertically above the axle 5, and the cranks tend to stand upright, but being connected with the carrier they are drawn down to front or rear by the movement of the carrier. The connecting device may be a short chain 30, as in Fig. 1, or it may be a casting 31, secured to the carrier and having an eccentric slot or groove 32 engaging with a pin 33 on the crank and so curved as to let the crank rise to its central position and then carry it down therefrom as the carrier turns over. The carrier is thus effectively cushioned in all its movements.

Secured to the main axle, so as to trail on the bed of the wagon, are two guards 34, which rise from the wagon-bed in front of the driving-wheels and curve rearwardly at their upper ends.

The operation of myinvention is as follows: The loading attachment is connected with the forward end of the bar 9, so as to begin loading at the front of the wagon. The wagon and attachment are driven alongside of the object to be loaded, such as a shock of corn, so that said shock stands at one side of the platform 35 of the carrier, on which the shock is then tipped over. The operator then pulls the handle 26, swinging the links 21 forward and dropping the yoke 17 on the rims of the driving-wheels. The team is then started, and almost immediately the studs 18 on the wheels engage the ends of the yoke and lift it, thereby turning the carrier and its load up and over until the front ends of the gage-bars 19 strike on the wagon-bed and stop the carrier in the dotted-line position shown in Fig. l. The shock of corn is at the same time dumped upon the wagon-bed in front of the guards 84. The trippers 22 strike the wagonbed before the bar 19, and being thus forced back into the position shown in Fig. 5 they lift the yoke away from the wheels and leave the latter free to rotate so long as the team continues moving. The carrier is returned to its loading position by the operator, who simply pulls it over by means of the rope 36. The counterpoise-spring checks the movement of the carrier, so that it comes to rest without any jar. When the front of the wagon-bed is full, the attachment is adjusted farther back along the bar 9, and so on until the wagon is full, without requiring any handling or stowing of the shocks on the wagon-bed.

It will be understood, of course, that by the term wagon-bed I mean either a flat platform or frame suitable for receiving cornshocks and the like or a box-body, as may be most convenient and suitable.

The object of pivoting the yoke is to permit it to automatically adjust itself to the studs on the wheel-rims. As the wheels are independently rotatable, it will often happen that the studs on one will not be exactly in line with those on the others. In this case one end of the yoke will be engaged before the other; but its pivoted connection allows it to assume an oblique position, so that both ends will be acted on and the load will be lifted by both wheels irrespective of the angular displacement of the studs from an axial plane.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is l. A loading attachment comprising an axle, two driving-wheels independently rotatable thereon and provided with studs, a hinged load-carrier, a yoke pivotally connected therewith and arranged to engage with said studs, and means for automatically disengaging said yoke froin the studs.

2. A loading attachment comprising an axle, two driving-wheels independently rotatable thereon and provided with studs, a hinged load-carrier, a bail hinged thereto, and a yoke pivoted to said bail.

3. A loading attachment comprising two independently rotatable driving wheels, a hinged load-carrier, a yoke on said carrier to Ion engage with said wheels, and longitudinallymovable trippers to carry said yoke into and out of engagement with said wheels.

4. A loading attachment comprising two independently rotatable driving wheels, a hinged load-carrier, a yoke on said carrier to engage with said wheels, and trippers movable longitudinally and also radially of said wheels to engage and disengage the yoke from said wheels.

5. A loading attachment-comprising two independently rotatable driving wheels, a hinged load-carrier, ayoke on said carrier to engage with said wheels, a gage-bar on said carrier, and a tripper movably connected with said bar and adapted to be automatically moved backward to trip the yoke when the gage-bar operates to stop the movement of the carrier.

6. A loading attachment comprising two independently rotatable driving wheels, a hinged load-carrier, a yoke on said carrier to engage with said wheels, a gage-bar projecting forward from said carrier, links pivoted to said bar, anda tripper pivoted to said links and projecting beyond the end of said bar when the yoke is in engagement with the wheels.

7. In a loading attachment, the combina tion with two independently-rotatable wheels provided with studs, of ahi-nged load-carrier, a yoke pivotally supported on said carrier,

gage-bars on said carrier, links pivoted to said gage-bars, stop-blocks on said bars, trippers pivoted to said links, and means for actuating said trippers to permit the yoke to engage withsaid studs.

8. In a loading attachment, the combination with a hinged load-carrier, of a counterpoise-spring operating to cushion said carrier at each end of its movement.

9. In a loading attachment, the combinadrawn down when the carrier moves either way from said central position.

10. In a loading attachment, the combination with'a hinged load-carrier, ofa torsionspring parallel with the axis of movement of said carrier and provided with a crank-arm having a pin, and a sector on said carrier havingan eccentric groove engaging with said pin. 4

11. The combination with a wagon, of a loading attach ment comprising a pair of driving-wheels straddling said wagon.'

12. The combination with a Wagon, of a loading attachment comprising a pair of drivingwheels, a draw-bar for the same, and means for adjustably connecting said drawbar with the wagon lengthwise of the same.

13. The combination with a wago n, of a loading attachment comprising a pair of driving-wheels, a draw-bar for the'same, a bar secured lengthwise of the wagon, and means for adjustably connecting said draw-bar with said bar.

letulhe combination with a wagon, of a loading attach ment comprising a pair of d riv-' ing-wheels, a draw-bar for the same provided with a grooved block, a perforated bar socured lengthwise of the Wagon and on which said block can slide, and a bolt in said block for connecting it withv said bar by entering said perforations.

In testimony whereof I affix. my signature in presence of two witnesses.

if I

THOMAS w. MOORF Witnesses:

W. C. BAYMAN, JOHN M. HUMPHREYS. 

